We’re afraid so. Boss man Shane
drove the Porsche 718 Boxster recently and came away raving about it, saying the move to four-pot power had not spoiled the most affordable car from Stuttgart, but even so we lament the loss of the charismatic six-cylinder engines the Cayman used to have. However, the 718 Cayman is faster and cleaner than ever before.
Does it get the same motors as the 718 Boxster?
It does indeed, the 2.0-litre with 300hp and 380Nm powering the £39,878 718 Cayman, with the 2.5-litre, 350hp/420Nm unit mounted in the middle of the £48,834 718 Cayman S. Expect the former to do 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds (with a twin-clutch PDK gearbox and the optional Sport Chrono Package) and run on to 170mph, while the latter improves on those numbers to 4.2 seconds and 177mph. Fuel economy for the 718 Cayman range is between 34.9- and 40.9mpg.
Has Porsche changed anything else on the 718 Cayman, aside from its engine?
Yes, quite a lot. The springs, dampers and anti-roll bars have all been either tweaked or firmed up, the steering is 10 per cent more direct than it was on the old six-cylinder cars, the rear wheels are half an inch wider and shod in different tyres to improve lateral grip and even the brakes have become beefier - the 718 Cayman gets the 330mm/299mm front/rear brake discs of the old Cayman S, while the S itself now gets its stoppers from the 911 Carrera, featuring four-piston front callipers and 6mm thicker discs. Options include Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV), which is a posh way of saying an electronically-controlled limited-slip differential, and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). This adaptive damping system lowers the ride height by 10mm on the 718 Cayman, while a sportier set-up with a 20mm drop is offered on the Cayman S for the first time.
It doesn't look massively different to the old Cayman, though, does it?
Not hugely. The 718's light clusters have been redesigned all round - at the front are bi-Xenon lamps and LED daytime running lights (DRLs), with the four-point DRLs an option, while at the rear the lights are now three-dimensional in appearance - and there has been some subtle reshaping of the bumpers, air intakes and side sills. Perhaps the easiest visual alteration is the gloss-black, Porsche-emblazoned strip sitting between the rear lights.
And how about within?
Visually, there's a fresh upper dash panel housing the air vents and a steering wheel that looks like it has been lifted from the 918 Spyder, although the better news for buyers is the standard fitment of Porsche Communication Management (PCM) on all 718 Caymans.
When can I order one?
Right now, with deliveries commencing in autumn. And those prices we told you earlier on? They make the Cayman cheaper than its Boxster equivalent for the first time in its history, a deliberate move from Porsche to make the 718 family's pricing structure match that of the 911, where the Cabriolet is more money than the hard-topped versions.
Matt Robinson - 25 Apr 2016